Wireless engine monitoring system with multiple hop aircraft communications capability and on-board processing of engine data

• US 9,026,273 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2012
• Issued: 05/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harris Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Harris Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ziarno, James J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): OH, HARRY Y
• Application Number:
  US13/489,642
• Publication Number:
  US 20130332010A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,063 Days
• Field of Search: 701 3- 18
• US Class Current: 701/3
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2045/0085 Devices for aircraft health monitoring, e.g. monitoring flutter or vibration
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 15/14 Testing gas-turbine engines or jet-propulsion engines
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0213 Modular or universal configuration of the monitoring system, e.g. monitoring system having modules that may be combined to build monitoring program; monitoring system that can be applied to legacy systems; adaptable monitoring system; using different communication protocols

Abstract

An engine monitoring module includes a housing configured to be mounted at the aircraft engine and a first wireless transmitter carried by the housing. A memory is carried by the housing and a processor is carried by the housing and coupled to the memory and the first wireless transmitter and configured to collect and store in the memory engine data relating to at least one engine parameter sensed during operation of the aircraft engine by a plurality of engine sensors that transmit the engine data via the first wireless transmitter. A wireless receiver is located within the aircraft and configured to receive the engine data transmitted from the first wireless transmitter. A second wireless transmitter is located within the aircraft and operatively connected to the wireless receiver and configured to receive and transmit the engine data.

Claims

1. A monitoring system for an aircraft engine, comprising:

a plurality of wireless engine sensors mounted on the aircraft engine and each configured to sense an engine parameter and engine data and transmit wirelessly the engine data and receive engine data to change the respective operation of the engine parameter sensing;

an engine monitoring module comprising;

a housing configured to be mounted at the aircraft engine,

a first wireless transceiver carried by the housing,

a memory carried by the housing,

a processor carried by the housing and coupled to the memory and the first wireless transceiver and configured to;

collect and store in said memory engine data relating to at least one engine parameter sensed during operation of the aircraft engine by the plurality of engine sensors and transmit the engine data via the first wireless transceiver over a wireless communications signal;

a wireless local area network (LAN) communications unit located within the aircraft and forming a wireless access point and wireless LAN within the aircraft, the wireless LAN communications unit including a processor and a wireless communications unit configured to receive the wireless communications signal via the wireless LAN and retransmit the engine data received from the engine monitoring module, and said communications unit further configured to receive and process within the processor data regarding engine sensor operation of at least one engine sensor and transmit back to the engine monitoring module data regarding engine parameter sensing in the at least one engine sensor, wherein selected ones of the plurality of wireless engine sensors receive the data regarding engine parameter sensing and change the operation of a respective sensor for a different engine parameter sensing operation; and

a second wireless transceiver located within the aircraft and configured to receive the engine data via the wireless LAN over a wireless communications signal from the wireless communications unit and transmit the engine data over a wireless communications signal from the aircraft.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said second wireless transceiver comprises a UHF transmitter configured to transmit the engine data over an air-to-ground communications signal.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said second wireless transceiver is configured to transmit the engine data over a satellite communications link.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein said first wireless transceiver is configured to transmit the engine data and a data address linked to an identifier of the aircraft engine.

5. A method of monitoring an aircraft engine, comprising:

mounting a plurality of wireless engine sensors on the aircraft engine and each configured to sense an engine parameter as engine data and transmit wirelessly the engine data and receive data to change the respective operation of the engine parameter sensing;

mounting an engine monitoring module at the aircraft engine, said engine monitoring module comprising a housing that is mounted at the aircraft engine, a first wireless transceiver carried by the housing, a memory carried by the housing, and a processor coupled to the memory and the first wireless transceiver;

collecting and storing in the memory engine data relating to at least one engine parameter sensed during operation of the aircraft engine by a plurality of engine sensors;

forming a wireless local area network (LAN) within the aircraft by locating a wireless local area network (LAN) communications unit comprising a processor, a wireless access point and a wireless communications unit within the aircraft;

transmitting the engine data from the first wireless transceiver of the engine monitoring module via the wireless LAN to the wireless communications unit and receiving and processing within the processor data regarding engine sensor operation of at least one engine sensor and transmitting back to the engine monitoring module data regarding engine parameter sensing in the at least engine sensor and transmitting to selected ones of the plurality of wireless engine sensors data regarding engine parameter sensing and changing the operation of a respective sensor for different engine parameter sensing operation; and

transmitting the engine data via the wireless LAN from the wireless LAN communications unit to a second wireless transceiver located within the aircraft and transmitting the engine data from the second wireless transceiver over a wireless communications signal from the aircraft.

6. The method according to claim 5, and further comprising transmitting the engine data via the second wireless transceiver over a satellite communications link.

7. The method according to claim 5, and further comprising transmitting the engine data over an Ultra High Frequency (UHF) communications signal as an air-to-ground communications signal.

8. The method according to claim 5, and further comprising assigning a data address to the engine monitoring module and linking the data address to an engine serial number for tracking the aircraft engine.

9. The method according to claim 5, and further comprising receiving engine parameters within the engine monitoring module collected from the plurality of engine sensors formed as wireless engine sensors configured into an engine wireless sensor network and transmitting the engine parameters over the wireless communications signal via the wireless LAN to the wireless LAN communications unit for processing within its processor.